Saturday, July 7, 2012

The Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation, President Fredrika Newton (the widow
of Huey P. Newton) and foundation executive director, David Hilliard,
have selected Emmy award winning independent filmmaker Dante James to
produce and direct a feature documentary, tentatively titled Huey P.
Newton and the Story of the Black Panther Party.

According to David Hilliard a childhood friend of Newton, and a
founding member and leader of the Black Panther Party, "This film will
tell the story of the Black Panther Party (BPP) from inside the Party
through the story of Huey P. Newton. Huey was a brilliant, complex man
whose commitment to the humanity and dignity of Black people and all of
humanity is well-defined in his books and essays but is little know to
the general public." Hilliard adds, "Dante James is our choice to make
this film because his work is engaging and complex and he respects his
subjects and the history. "

Producer director Dante James states, "Other films have explored the
Black Panther Party from the point of view of fringe and short time
members. This film will explore the inner workings and the evolution of
the Party. Huey P. Newton's story as leader and standard-bearer of the
Party will be interwoven throughout the film. Intimate interviews,
unseen film footage and unheard audio recordings will drive the
narrative."

The production team believes the philosophy of the Black Panther
Party as defined in its 10-point program addressed the basic needs and
desires of the community. The legacy of the Black Panther Party endures
today, which is one of the reasons why the corporate mainstream media
continue their efforts to distort and disfigure the Party's' legacy. But
said media will not prevail. The people will! Hilliard states, "We need
the publics' support to tell this story outside of the forces of
mainstream media including PBS." The film will be distributed through
independent theater release, video on demand and DVD sales in domestic
and international markets.

Producer/director Dante James plans to complete the film by the
summer of 2013. The producers are seeking investments from independent,
private sources and start up funding through Kickstarter, the online
financing website. Anyone seeking more information or wanting to support
the project can contribute through Kickstarter or by contacting Dante
James at djames2015@nc.rr.com or 919-475-9879 and David Hilliard at
davidhilliard66@gmail.com or 510-507-3853.

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The Sly Fox Film Reviews publishes the content of film critic Kam Williams. Voted Most Outstanding Journalist of the Decade by the Disilgold Soul Literary Review in 2008, Kam Williams is a syndicated film and book critic who writes for 100+ publications around the U.S., Europe, Asia, Africa, Canada and the Caribbean. He is a member of the New York Film Critics Online, the NAACP Image Awards Nominating Committee and Rotten Tomatoes.

In addition to a BA in Black Studies from Cornell, he has an MA in English from Brown, an MBA from The Wharton School, and a JD from Boston University. Kam lives in Princeton, NJ with his wife and son.